accounting
noun
ac·count·ing
ə-ˈkau̇n-tiŋ 
1
: the system of recording and summarizing business and financial transactions and analyzing, verifying, and reporting the results
also
: the principles and procedures of this system
studied accounting as a freshman
2
a
: work done in accounting or by accountants
b
: an instance of applied accounting or of the settling or presenting of accounts
3
: account sense 2
They were required to provide a detailed accounting of their actions.
Examples of accounting in a Sentence
what accounting can you give for your bizarre actions on the night in question?
Recent Examples on the Web
Given demographic shifts forcing fewer workers to support more retirees, Social Security trust funds—as accounting constructs, not pots of gold—are scheduled under current law to be insufficient to make full payments within the next 10 years.
—
Doug Criscitello, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Randall has a scholarly background in accounting, and his attraction to pluralism is fittingly pragmatic.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Hastings also declined to give any broader accounting of how often the agency had held Americans.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2025
Department of Health and Human Services officials during a closed-door briefing could not give a full accounting of the number of people who have been fired from the agency, a Democratic aide for the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Friday.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accounting
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Doug Criscitello, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Randall has a scholarly background in accounting, and his attraction to pluralism is fittingly pragmatic.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Hastings also declined to give any broader accounting of how often the agency had held Americans.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 14 Apr. 2025
Department of Health and Human Services officials during a closed-door briefing could not give a full accounting of the number of people who have been fired from the agency, a Democratic aide for the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Friday.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for accounting
Cite this Entry
“Accounting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accounting. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
accounting
noun
ac·count·ing
ə-ˈkau̇nt-iŋ
1
: the system or practice of recording the amounts of money made and spent by a person or business
2
: a statement explaining one's conduct : account sense 5a
Legal Definition
accounting
noun
ac·count·ing
1
: an often court-ordered presentment or examination of accounts
a complete accounting would be necessary to determine the nature of the expenditures—Case & Comment
Case & Comment2
: the settlement by judicial action of the assets of a partnership (as upon dissolution)
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